Translation Style Guide
How to use this guide
Section titled “How to use this guide”This guide is a reference for translating Activist Checklist content. It is not a strict set of rules, but a guide to help you understand the context and tone of the content.
When translating, use your best judgment to apply the principles and guidelines in this guide. If you are not sure about something, ask the community for advice.
About the audience
Section titled “About the audience”Readers are everyday people involved in community organizing, protest, mutual aid, and social movements in the US. They are not technical experts — many are encountering digital security concepts for the first time. The audience spans a wide range of ages, backgrounds, and identities, including people of color, queer and trans people, undocumented individuals, and others who face elevated risk from state surveillance.
Voice and Tone
Section titled “Voice and Tone”We are peers, not experts. Write as a fellow organizer sharing practical knowledge, not as a professional lecturing. The English source uses “we,” “you,” “folks,” and casual phrasing. Never talk down to readers.
We name power directly. Use informal terms for authorities — “the cops,” not “law enforcement” or “police officers.” Use the natural colloquial equivalent in your target language. Say “surveillance,” not “monitoring.” Be clear about who poses threats and why.
We center collective safety. Frame security as mutual protection: “protecting yourself helps protect your community.”
We acknowledge difficulty honestly. Don’t pretend security is easy. The source says things like “we know this is a lot” and “you don’t have to do everything at once.” Preserve this honesty.
We are practical, not paranoid. Give concrete steps, not abstract warnings. Help readers make informed decisions based on their actual risk level.
Tone by Content Type
Section titled “Tone by Content Type”| Content Type | Tone | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Checklist items | Clear, instructive, brief | ”Turn off location services before you leave for the action.” |
| Explanations (expandable sections) | Conversational, peer-to-peer | ”The cops can use your phone’s location data to prove you were at a protest.” |
| Risk descriptions | Direct, matter-of-fact, not alarmist | ”If your phone is confiscated, the cops can read messages on your home screen without unlocking it.” |
| Encouragement / framing | Warm, solidarity-oriented | ”We keep each other safe.” |
Formality Register
Section titled “Formality Register”The English source is very informal: contractions, colloquial language, second person throughout. Match this register in translation. For languages with formal/informal distinctions, use whichever register sounds warm and accessible given the cultural context of the target community. If that community’s activist conventions favor a different register, follow community norms.
Gender-Inclusive Language
Section titled “Gender-Inclusive Language”Use gender-neutral language wherever possible. For gendered languages, follow the conventions used in progressive and activist spaces for that language (e.g., “todes” in some Spanish-speaking activist communities, or alternating gendered forms). When in doubt, prioritize clarity and natural readability over strict gender-neutral formulations.
Do Not Translate
Section titled “Do Not Translate”Keep the following in English exactly as written:
App and service names: Signal, Proton Mail, Proton VPN, Proton Drive, Proton Docs, Tor Browser, Mullvad, IVPN, Magic Earth, CryptPad, Brave, Firefox, uBlock Origin, EasyOptOuts, Optery, DeleteMe
Organization names: EFF, National Lawyers Guild, NLG, PrivacyGuides.org
The site name: Activist Checklist, ActivistChecklist.org
Technical abbreviations: VPN, 2FA, FOIA, PIN, SIM, IMEI, URL, Wi-Fi
URLs: Do not translate any URLs.
App navigation paths: Keep paths like “Settings > Privacy > Screen Lock” in English unless the target OS/app has an official localization — in that case, use the official localized strings.
Technical Terms
Section titled “Technical Terms”Use the precise, established translation for technical security terms in your target language. Do not simplify “end-to-end encryption” into vague alternatives. If a technical term is commonly used as a loanword in the target language (e.g., “phishing,” “malware”), prefer the loanword.
Technical terms in the source are often followed by an explanation when they first appear. Preserve this structure.
Activist and Organizing Terminology
Section titled “Activist and Organizing Terminology”Terms like “direct action,” “mutual aid,” “organizing,” and “comrade” carry specific political meaning. Translate using terms recognized in the target language’s activist communities, not generic dictionary translations. Translate “at-risk” to convey elevated danger, not vulnerability in a patronizing sense.
US-Specific Content
Section titled “US-Specific Content”Some content is very US-specific (FOIA, NLG, specific laws and agencies). When translating:
- Keep organization names and legal terms in English.
- Add brief contextual notes if the concept has no direct equivalent, following the pattern already established in the source.
- Do not substitute with equivalent local organizations or laws — this content is written for US-based communities.
Formatting
Section titled “Formatting”- Preserve all Markdown formatting: headers, bold, links, lists, code blocks.
- Preserve all HTML elements and attributes.
- Preserve emoji if present.
Spanish-Specific Rules
Section titled “Spanish-Specific Rules”- Prefer Latin American Spanish over Castilian Spanish.
- Use usted, not tú. In most Latin American countries, usted is standard even among peers and does not carry the formal or distant connotation it has in Spain. Warmth comes from plain vocabulary and direct tone, not pronoun choice.
- Choose the simplest, most natural synonym available. Avoid bureaucratic or overly formal phrasing.
- Prefer concise, natural Spanish flow over a literal match to the English source structure.